Fame
by Sarah Coldheart
Summary: Present day AU. Sometimes you need to follow your dreams to get what you want.
1. Prologue

_A/N: Present day Adventure Time AU. Marceline/Princess Bubblegum. Multichapter fic._

oOoOo

Her cheeks were wet.

She could taste the saltiness of her tears as her callused fingers touched them, surprised that they were truly there.

Marceline thought that she didn't have any emotions left, at least any emotions or feelings about _her_.

And yet… Her dreams occasionally reminded what she had forgotten.

It was stupid.

It was _agonizing_.

"Fuck…" murmured Marceline, under her breath.

It had been five years since she last saw or heard of her. Marceline had enough. She needed to do something about it.

She picked up her mobile phone next to her pillow and dialed.

"Hey LSP? Yo, I know you're still asleep but call me back when you are awake, kay? I'm gonna say yes to the deal. Let's do this".


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: Present day Adventure Time AU. Marceline/Princess Bubblegum. Multichapter fic.

Prologue here.

oOoOo

Marceline was no stranger to the music industry. She had backed up plenty of musicians and singers when mixing their albums or writing songs like LSP's latest single "These Lumps".

So _no_. It wasn't strange finding her stalking around the green room of an exclusive music studio. It was _hers_. What was strange was that the most popular celebrities of the season were watching her walk to and fro, waiting for her to say something.

"I… I need your help," admitted Marceline.

Lyrics had been much easier for her than just outright talking and admitting that she needed help was the worst.

"We gathered that, sugar. What do you need help in?" asked Flame Lord.

The other three that were there with her were Susan Strong, Tree Trunks and of course, LSP. Stage names could be ridiculous and Marceline vowed to use her own instead of making up any.

"I want to… ungh. I want to be popular," muttered the tall woman.

"OH MAH GLOB, you want to be popular!" exclaimed LSP.

"Now hold on honey, why now?" asked Tree Trunks.

"I've got my reasons. Look, will you guys help me or what?" she growled.

"Of course!" said Susan Strong.

"But first, you will go with mah stylist! IT'S MAKEOVER TIME!" announced LSP.

Marceline just groaned.

oOoOo

Three weeks was all it took for the paparazzi to start noticing that there was something up with Marceline. From an unseen music creative, she was now seen hanging out with celebrities in parties and lurking in the background of pictures of the latest gossip in tinseltown.

Meanwhile, it merely took only a week for everyone else on the internet to learn about her music.

Marceline's single "Bury You" was allegedly leaked from an upcoming album called "Vampire Queen" and had gotten more than a million downloads in just three days.

The numbers just kept increasing and while there was that sickening feeling that grew inside Marceline, she wondered if she had done the right thing.

"Glob, this… The comments. They want more. They want to know who sang this song. How did you all pull it off?" asked Marceline once LSP picked up her phone.

"We just pulled a little strings, it's your own music that makes them want more. Come on, get out of your house and get to my party already! MTV's coming over! They wanna shoot mah crib and you got to get here pronto!" demanded LSP.

"Yeah sure, will be there in time," said Marceline as she hung up.

The party was not going to be any ordinary party. Sure, LSP always threw lavish parties at her home but this time, it was going to be a little different. Marceline was going to play a little song as if for an "impromptu collab" with LSP.

It was sneaky.

It was bound to be viral.

Marceline had seen how manufactured some artists were and at what lengths their managers or publicists went to just to increase exposure. This was just going to be the start of it.

This was going to be the end of her obscurity.

And perhaps the end of _those_ dreams.


	3. Chapter 2

The first time Bonnibel heard the song playing over the radio, she stopped. The logical side of her brain got her to switch the bunsen burner off and leave the beaker of chemicals back in its container.

She stood there, unmoving as she listened to the lyrics. To _her_ voice. It had been years but Bonnibel could recognize it. Always had.

She didn't have to wait till the DJ announced who the singer was at the end. It was Marceline.

"Oh dear. Oh my," she mumbled to herself.

It had been ages since she had heard her voice. The scientist had staggered out of her lab, passing by one of her assistants and vaguely telling them that she was going out for the day. At least she recalled saying something like that as she stripped off her lab coat and returned her pass to security.

It was against her protocol to just leave like that but somehow she found herself sitting in her car with her head leaning against the steering wheel.

"Oh Marceline…"she murmured to herself.

oOoOo

It was the fifth talkshow Marceline had gotten herself booked with that week. The hosts kept asking her the same questions all over again and she answered them routinely. The tall lean woman looked down at her favourite bass guitar propped next to her chair, fingers splayed around its neck.

The axe bass was her most distinctive instrument and anyone or _everyone_ who had ever visited her music studio had seen it hanging on its stand in her office.

"And now you're going to play us a song for the audience, right?" asked the host.

"Huh, wha? Oh yes," answered Marceline.

She briefly smiled at the host before unclipping the microphone at her collar and handing it to one of the floor assistants as she made her way to the mini stage. Marceline plugged in her bass and looked back at the talkshow's live band, giving them a thumbs up. They had rehearsed her latest single during sound check before the show. It was going to sound awesome.

Marceline adjusted the microphone in front of her and beamed at the camera that was focusing on her face.

"Princess, please call me," she said.

And then launched into her song.


	4. Chapter 3

Seven months, a dozen new songs, four mini concerts and a whole lot of talk shows later, Marceline had fantasized finding Bonnibel while she was performing on tour. The spotlight would be on her as she would sing an epic rocking song and then jump into the audience to drag her on stage. Bonnibel would look into her eyes as they sang together and then leave in an explosion of pyrotechnics and smoke.

Reality was always different from expectations.

For one, she was being kidnapped by Bonnibel. She slid around in her seat before she buckled up, they were going somewhere, she wasn't sure where yet. Secondly, the other girl hadn't said a word to her ever since she had started driving the car like professional stunt driver.

_"Marcy. What are you doing here?" asked Bonnibel._

_"Buying gum?" replied Marceline._

She had stupidly waved the packet of sugarfree strawberry gum at the other girl in the aisle of the convenience store. She _had_ been in disguise too. Marceline's long hair was stuffed into her grey cap and she had sunglasses that covered half her face. When she wanted to be invisible, she knew how to behave. No one tended to notice her that way.

It was also why she was stunned when the other girl suddenly grabbed at her hand and dragged her out of the store. Perhaps it wasn't exactly a kidnapping, she just had no idea what was happening.

"PB? Where are we going?" she asked.

"Home. Just hold on, I don't want anyone to see you," replied Bonnibel.

"Woah, hold on. No one's gonna see me if I don't want them to see me," said Marceline.

"You're a rockstar, Marcy"

"So what, no one knows I'm in this town yet"

It was a gimmick for the locations of Marceline's countrywide tour. Her website would only update one week before she was slated to perform. Tickets were cheap but to get to one of her special concerts, fans had to be quick to her announcements. Logistics was a killer but everyone admitted that her gigs had been awesome with the offbeat places she performed in.

Before Marceline could say anything else, the car stopped and Bonnibel got out. Fumbling with her seatbelt, the taller girl got out too.

"Where the heck _am _I?" asked Marceline.

"You're in my home."

"You're Batman?"

They had parked in the middle of a cave illuminated with blue electroluminescent wires, zig-zagging on the stone interior. A few other vehicles were parked next to her car and Bonnibel kept on walking towards a metal door without looking back.

"No, I am not. Just… Just follow me, Marcy"


End file.
